Frank and Carla - Family matters
by startnowdobetter
Summary: Here we go, another baby fic... I really thought that if Frank wasn't evil he and Carla would have been great together. He's not nasty in this fic, he's a nice guy! Nothing happened with Maria either. Enjoy guys!
1. Chapter 1 - A Doctor Calls

**This is very AU! This is set a few months after Frank and Carla got married. Carla had a crush on Peter but realized that he would never leave Leanne and Simon. She quickly fell out of love when she realized that Peter was stringing her along. There would always be feelings there for the pair, but they are just friends. Leanne has somewhat forgiven her former friend.**

 **Frank is less controlling than he was in the show, he is less paranoid, after he sat down with Carla and she told him everything. He decided that this might be his one shot at happiness and he couldn't let it disappear because Carla made a few mistakes, after all they both love each other.**

 **Frank was still determined to have children with Carla, and she agreed, to make things a little bit easier, and to make up for the fact that she hadn't been honest with him.**

 **This is very much a baby fic! It starts at the very start of the storyline, and gives no lead up, that's why I wrote a little intro here.**

 **I don't know why, but I ship Frank and Carla. He was so nice until he turned nasty! They were very similar, so they bounced off each other well. I missed that!**

 **Hope you enjoy guys!**

Carla was feeling strange all day. She just assumed that it was down to the stress of the move and the fact that she and Frank hadn't had time to recover from the jet lag they both had from a recent trip to Paris.  
"Carla?" Frank asked his wife, snapping her out of what seemed to be a trance.  
"Yeah, sorry I was miles away." She answered him, her eyes glued to the computer screen in front of her.  
"Are you ok?" He asked her, coming over to where she was sat and kissing her on the cheek. He had noticed over the past day or two Carla hadn't been herself. He had never seen her so withdrawn and it worried him a little.  
"Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled, dismissing him, still staring intently at her computer screen.  
"Why don't you go home love, make sure you're ready for another night like the last?" Frank asked Carla, placing a hand on her shoulder, smirking. The couple had been trying for a baby for a short time now, and it was all that Frank seemed to care about.  
"I don't think that's a good idea." Carla replied, honestly not knowing whether she could drive herself home. "Anyway, how will you get home?" She asked him, looking up at him and smiling softly to try and assure him that she was OK to stay at work.  
"Fine, at least take a break. Go for some fresh air." He reasoned.  
"Ok, I'll go and do that." She said standing up, feeling faint. Frank was still stood next to her, as he looked into her eyes, desperate for a signal or a sign that would tell him what the matter was. Although she said she was fine, Frank didn't believe his new wife.  
"Babe..." Carla trailed off, as she collapsed into Frank's arms.  
Frank slowly lowered Carla onto the floor, being very careful to not hurt her.  
"Sally!" He called, loud enough so he could be heard through the closed office door.  
"Mr Foster?" Sally asked, stepping into the office, before being shocked at what she saw in front of her.  
"I need you to get me a glass of water." He told her, remaining completely calm, moving Carla's hair away from her face.  
"Should I phone an ambulance?" She asked, still rooted to the spot.  
"No, no." Carla mumbled.  
"Now please, Sally." Frank instructed, as Sally rushed out into the kitchen.

"I'm going to take you home. Right now." Frank told Carla, as she sat up, next to Frank who was kneeling, holding her back for support.

"I'm fine honestly." She told him.

"Carla, you've just collapsed. Please, let me take you home." He asked, standing up and offering out his hand to help Carla up, and helping her over to her chair. Sally came back with a glass of water and handed it to Frank, before knowing to leave her bosses to it and leaving the office, closing the door, being careful to keep the door open a little so the staff on the factory floor could know what was going on.  
Frank handed Carla the glass, and Carla took a sip.  
"Listen." Frank said softly, sitting down in front of his wife on her desk. "If this is what trying for a baby is doing to you, then we can take a break for a while, I don't mind." Frank told her, as Carla almost hid behind the glass in her hand, not wanting to make eye contact with her husband. She nodded, knowing that if he wasn't so focused on getting her pregnant, it might take the pressure off her a little.  
"Come on Princess, your carriage awaits." Frank told her, reaching over to his own desk and picking up the keys to his car. He wrapped his arm round Carla's waist as he led her out of the factory to where the car was parked. "Sally, you're in charge. No skiving you lot!" Frank shouted.

"What so she was actually out cold?" Sean asked quietly, watching the bosses vacate the building.  
Sally nodded in response. "Maybe she caught something from abroad?" Julie speculated.  
"What, from Paris?" Fiz asked sarcastically, following her comment with a small giggle.  
"Could be jet lag I suppose." Sally suggested, as the door to the factory slammed shut.  
"Either that or..." Sean added to the conversation, his voice a little louder and higher now that his employers had left. "Frank did say that they were going to try and have a family in his speech at the Wedding." Fiz told them all, catching Sean's drift.  
"Surely not this soon though." Sally said. "They'll be some reasonable explanation and all of this speculation would have been for nothing knowing them two."

xxxxxxxx

Back at the house, Frank and Carla stood in their kitchen, with Carla slowly leaning over on to the side.

"I think you should go to the doctor." Frank suggested, knowing that his wife was quite ill. He had never seen her like this before.

"I'm fine." She lied, going over to the cupboard and getting a glass before going over to the sink and getting a glass of water. "I'm going to go to bed, maybe finish of some paperwork for the Bulmers order and then do a bit of online shopping." She told Frank.

He stood there, watching her, a certain look of worry spread across his face. "I'm alright, I promise you." She said, smiling at him.

"Well, I'm going to go back to work for a bit, then come home when everything's done. We can all have an early start to the weekend and I can take proper care of you." He said, going over and kissing Carla on the forehead. "I love you." He added.

"I love you too." She said, making her way towards the stair case. Frank sighed and shook his head as he watched his new wife walk away. He loved her more than anything and hated to see her like this.

As Carla reached the bottom of the staircase, she felt faint once more. She placed her glass down on to the banister before placing her left hand flat on the wall to try and steady herself. "Frank." She called out, a hint of worry and uncertainty in her voice, as if was softer than usual. Frank rushed from the kitchen to Carla.

"Carla, this really isn't healthy, let me take you to the doctor." He begged, holding her by the waist whilst noting she had gone paler in colour.

"I'm fine." Carla said, her voice becoming even softer, as Frank felt Carla becoming a dead weight.

"Carla?" He asked waiting for a response. Knowing that something was really up, he called their doctor. Frank's initial concern was whether she would be able to try for a baby in this state, but his worry had been shifted to his wife's health. Frank reached for his phone from his pocket and dialled the number as Carla regained consciousness. As she was becoming increasingly alert, Carla attempted to move, with Frank being careful to not let her move to suddenly. "Stay there, Carla." He told her softly.

"Hi Doctor Martin, it's Frank Foster. Carla is quite ill and I'm getting concerned, would you be able to make a house call?" He asked down the phone, as he felt Carla's forehead, noticing that she had developed a fever. "She's not been well all day, she's got a fever, she's white as a ghost and has collapsed twice." He explained to the doctor, as Carla had given up on trying to move, knowing that Frank wasn't going to let her move. "Just now, she's on the floor... yeah, I'm right next to her." He continued to explain as he took his wife's hand in comfort, smoothing his thumb over the back of her hand. "Alright, thank you." He said, graciously ending the call.

"Doctor Martin's coming around right away, he said when you feel ready to, we should try and get you on the sofa or a bed, somewhere comfy" Frank relayed. Carla nodded, as if to let him know that she wanted to get up then. "Are you still feeling faint?" He asked her, a serious tone in his voice. "No." Carla muttered softly, before Frank helped Carla into their living room and onto the sofa.

xxxxxxxx

"Hello Carla." The doctor greeted her, following Frank into the living room, as he sat down next to his wife.

"I don't know why he called you, I'm fine." Carla told him, smiling a little, fooling nobody.

"What I'm going to do is check your temperature and blood pressure and see if that gives us any clues to why you keep on collapsing." He explained, kneeling on the floor and opening his medical bag.

"Carla your blood pressure is extremely high, have there been any changes in your diet?" The doctor asked. "No." Carla said, looking at Frank for comfort. He came and sat next to her, taking her hand.

"Do you smoke or have an excessive alcohol intake?" He asked her. "I've been cutting down on alcohol." Carla told him. "Do you smoke?" He asked her. "No." She replied.

"Is there a chance you may be pregnant?" He asked her. Carla froze for a second, before turning to Frank.

"We've been trying for a few months now." Frank informed the doctor, taking Carla's hand for comfort.

"Ok," he replied, pulling a plastic bag containing a white stick out of his bag. "This will test to see whether you are pregnant, or not." He said, handing the stick to her. "You might want have a quick read of the instructions before you take the test itself."

Carla went to the bathroom, as Frank was getting excited at the thought of being a dad. "If she is pregnant, where would we go from there?" Frank asked, somehow keeping a straight face.

"In that case, I would refer her to a midwife and will check to see if mother and baby are in good health." The doctor explained.

"Would the blood pressure be an issue?" He asked, keeping a serious demeanour, however inside, he was thrilled at the prospect of finally becoming a father.

"Potentially," the doctor told Frank. "Your wife would need to be monitored." He added.

"All done." Carla said, handing the bag back to the doctor.

"Ok, I'm going to leave this for about a minute, then we'll be able to see the result." He explained to her, as Carla sat back down next to Frank on the sofa.

"How long have you been trying for a baby?" The doctor asked Carla.

"For three months now. But, I came off my birth control about six months ago." She replied, with Frank placing a reassuring hand on the small of his wife's back. He knew that it was difficult for her to think about having a family.

Just before the wedding they had spoken about having a family, with Carla talking to him about her fear of having a child because she thought she couldn't be a mum, as she felt unloved by her own mother as a child. Frank had reassured Carla, telling her that she would be nothing like her mum, she couldn't be. With some gentle persuasion, Carla agreed to have a baby with Frank, knowing that he wouldn't leave her alone with a baby, like her own dad had left her mother, and she could see that they wouldn't last long as a married couple if she didn't agree to the one thing that would make him the happiest man alive.

"Alright," Doctor Martin said, cutting a loving silence between the couple.

"What's the verdict them doc?" Frank dared to ask, smiling at Carla with a look of sheer joy as if he already knew the answer.

"This confirms that you are in fact, pregnant Carla, so what I'm going to do is pass your details on to a midwife, who will call you in the next few days to arrange a first appointment." He informed them.

"For now, I think that resting is the best course of action. The pair of you obviously lead a busy and stressful lifestyle that I think you would find useful to take a break from at this point, both of you." He added.

"Carla, if you collapse again however, I want either one of you to call me and I will try and get a midwife to come and see you, make sure that there isn't anything too serious going on." He finished.

"What do you think is causing her to keep on collapsing?" Frank asked. "It may be the changing level of hormones, or the higher blood pressure." He replied. "At the moment though, I would just see how things go, alright?" He asked, standing up and picking up his medical bag.

Carla remained silent, stunned at the fact that she was able to get pregnant so quickly. "Thank you so much, Doctor." Frank said, shaking the middle-aged man's hand, as he too stood up from the sofa, to show him out.

xxxxxxxx

"We've done it!" Frank beamed, coming into the living room. "I'm going to take such good care of you." He promised, offering his hand out, helping his wife off the sofa.

"You already do." She smiled, bouncing off his excitement a little.

"Are you happy?" He asked her, pulling her into him, kissing her on the forehead.

"Yeah." She said softly, giving a weak smile.

"Carla, the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy with this pregnancy. I know that you've had your doubts, but you'll be a fantastic mum and I'm here for you, whatever you need. Just name it." He told her reassuringly.

"A nice bottle red would be good." She joked, laughing a little.

"I love you so much." He told her, kissing her lightly. "I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2 - The Next Morning

This is a shorter chapter but fuels the next few...

Enjoy!

"Good morning." Frank greeted Carla, as she woke up to him sitting next to her on the bed, already dressed for work.

"What time is it?" She dared to ask, shielding her eyes from the light that was seeping through the partially open blinds.

"It's around quarter past eight." He told her. "But you are going nowhere today. You are going to stay here and rest whilst I hand Hayley the keys to the factory and ask her to run the place for a few days after the weekend, until you're well enough to come back to work." He added. "I am going to come back here and look after you, now that we are finally having a family of our own."

Carla didn't have a choice. He had already mapped it out. He was going to take care of her and make sure that in turn, she was taking care of their unborn child. He had witnessed first-hand how self-destructive Carla could be, so he thought it best to keep an eye on her whilst she still seemed a little unsure about the pregnancy.  
"I'll be back in twenty minutes, alright. Would you like me to get you anything while I'm out?" He asked her, smiling as she stretched her arms out before sitting up a little. "No, I think I'm alright." She replied. "Alright, well, I'll be back in no time." He told her, leaning forward and kissing her, before getting up and leaving the house.

Carla had a shower and got dressed, before making her way down to the kitchen. She was dressed in an oversized black T-shirt, and some leggings. She knew that Frank wasn't going to let her out of the house today, so appearance didn't seem to matter all too much. She didn't mind the fact that Frank was being so over protective. After all, this was everything he had ever wanted, he wanted to make it perfect for them both. For the three of them.

Carla went into the cupboard before finding a jar of decaf coffee for her. She smiled at the sight, Frank had already thought of everything. She heard the door open, as Frank appeared with a bag of shopping.

"You're awake!" Frank beamed kissing his wife on the cheek and placing down the white plastic bag on the counter.

"What did you buy?" Carla asked, as Frank reached into the bag, revealing a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne.

"You said last night you wanted alcohol, I know it's not the same, but I thought that it would be the next best thing." He smiled.

"Thank you" Carla laughed. "But you didn't have to do that!" She told him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I know I didn't, but I wanted to." He smiled, as she leant in to kiss him.

It was later in the morning, and Carla and Frank were sat on their bed, looking through an old photo album. "Look at your haircut!" Carla laughed, looking over a photo of Frank from when he was about ten.

"I chose it myself! My Mum wasn't very amused. She said it was too ridiculous" He laughed.

"She was right!" Carla told him, her laughs getting softer. "Remind me not to let you take our baby to the hairdressers." She added.

"I was thinking, and I don't want you to go off at me. This is completely up to you." Frank began, thinking that now was the right time to talk to Carla, she seemed happy and relaxed. "Obviously, we would need to wait a few weeks until we told everyone about the baby, but how would you feel if I invited my parents round and told them?" He asked, taking Carla's hand in his for comfort.

"When?" She asked calmly.

"Tomorrow." He said, looking at Carla for any signs that she wasn't happy.

"I thought we had to wait. You know, until we got to twelve weeks." Carla told him.

"I know, and some people do, it's just, I think I would like to tell them as soon as possible really." He said.

"How about this, we tell them after our very first appointment, but wait to tell everyone else until after the first scan." Carla said, shooting him a soft smile. She knew that he was only excited.

"Deal." Frank smiled, with Carla leaning in to her husband.

It was the afternoon when Carla received a phone call from a clinic near them. Carla made an appointment for Monday.

Frank was in their office, catching up on some paperwork, when Carla came in and sat down on his lap. "You ok?" He asked her softly, stopping to type and wrapping his arms around her waist, which gave her butterflies. "Great." She replied, a soft smile adorning her face.

"Monday." She told him, turning to face her husband.

"What about it?" He asked her, matching her smile, intrigued.

"We have an appointment with the midwife, and then we are telling your parents that they're going to be grandparents." She said, tracing her finger along the collar of his shirt.

"That's amazing." He said, using his finger to raise Carla's head so she was facing him. "Are you happy?" He checked.

"Yeah." She smiled, as he kissed her passionately.

"I was thinking that we should throw a dinner party." Frank told Carla. They were sat around their table eating dinner that Frank had made them both.

"What for your parents?" Carla asked.

"Yeah, I mean it would make sense wouldn't it. They had us over for a dinner party last time, so it wouldn't raise suspicion." Frank said.

"Yeah, but I can't cook, your parents can, and I doubt that you would want to make a three-course dinner after work." Carla told him.

"Then I'll hire a chef, and we're not going to work on Monday." Frank told her.

"What do you mean, we've got to, we can't take the next eighteen years off!" Carla said in response.

"I'm going to make sure that you're alright, no more passing out, we have an appointment on Monday, so that's excuse enough, and besides I've already given Hayley the keys, this morning, remember?" He replied.

"Well, I have another set, so I might decide to go in on my own accord." Carla snapped back.

"Carla, come on, you know I only want to take care of you." Frank said, his voice softer but somehow firmer. "Hormones?" He asked, smiling, before Carla threw a coaster at him playfully.


	3. Chapter 3 - Dinner Party

**Thank you for all your lovely messages on the last chapter, sorry it's been so long! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Frank and Carla walked out of the centre, with Frank's arm round Carla's shoulder, as she leant into him slightly. They had both just found out that Carla was about six weeks pregnant, and the pair couldn't have been happier. They had seen a tiny blob on a screen, and for Carla, it made the situation feel even more real, which is what she needed to realise that this is what she wanted, nearly all her doubt had faded.

Frank had hired a chef for the night to cook for himself, Carla and his parents. They were coming over to their house, so the happy couple could reveal that they were expecting.

"I can't believe in seven months, that tiny blob is going to be a baby." Frank said, glancing down at the picture that Carla was staring down at. She held it in both hands, with a soft smile on her face. "I can't believe we got pregnant so quick." Carla replied. "Why wouldn't we?" Frank asked. "Well, you know, it takes some people years." Carla told him, unsure of how much she wanted to say on the matter. "We're just lucky. Not that I wasn't already." Frank told Carla, kissing her on the top of her head. "So, how are we telling your parents?" Carla asked, folding the envelope over, concealing the picture of her baby. "I was thinking either after the meal, or before." He told her. "It'll be fun to see them guess why I'm not drinking." Carla laughed. "You want to tell them after?" Frank asked, as they got to their car. "I'm going to leave it to you." She smiled, getting into the car.

"I've got it!" Frank said, coming into the office, where Carla was replying to emails. "Why don't we buy a travel cot, you know how much my Mum was saying she wanted one." He smiled, going over to behind where Carla was sat, and gently massaging her shoulders. "Do you know, I think that's a great idea." Carla told him, turning to face him. "How about you take a break from that and come with me, we can pick one up together." He suggested with a beaming smile. "Alright." Carla agreed, allowing Frank to place a firm kiss on her lips. "I love you so much." He told her.

"Oh hello!" Anne greeted Carla, as she answered the door to her in-laws. Anne and Sam took turns in hugging her. Frank appeared from behind Carla and wrapped his arms around Carla's waist. "Hi Mum, Dad." Frank greeted, taking his arms from around his wife and hugging his parents. "Can I get anyone a drink?" Carla offered as Frank closed the door behind his parents. "I'll have whatever." Sam replied. "I'll have some chardonnay if you have any." Anne replied. Carla went into the kitchen and was followed by Frank. "You go and sit down, I'll do this." He told her.

"Do you want to tell them now?" Carla smiled, as Frank got some glasses from the side of the marble counter and began to pour some wine for his parents.

"Are you sure?" Frank asked her, raising an eyebrow excitedly all the same.

Carla simply nodded, following Frank into the living room, where Frank's parents had taken a seat. Frank handed the drinks to his Mum and Dad before going into another room hastily, going to get a newly purchased Moses basket. When in the store, the couple had decided that a travel cot was something that they could get later and wanted their parents to have a Moses basket for the baby, so the baby could sleep easily at their house when it was younger.

"Before we go in and have dinner, me and Frank just wanted to say something." Carla began, as Frank reappeared at the door, joining his wife, putting an arm round her shoulders, allowing her to fold into him.

"We have a gift for you waiting in the other room." Frank smiled, as he took Carla's hand and lead her into the room. He had set the basket on a stand in the middle of the room and placed the picture of a blob that they had received that day.

As soon as his mother walked into the room, she turned hysterical, placing her hand over her mouth and screaming, as Carla and Frank looked at each other, beaming smiles on their faces. Sam came over and hugged his wife, in an attempt to calm her down.

"Congratulations!" Anne screamed, eventually coming over and hugging the couple. "Oh, I can't believe it!" Anne said, going over to the Moses basket. "How many weeks?" She asked.

"Just six." Carla replied. "So, don't go telling people yet. We want to wait until the twelve-week scan." Frank said.

"I don't see why, this is wonderful news, you should be sharing it with everyone!" Anne exclaimed, obviously too happy to contain her excitement.

"Because, Carla's been having some issues, so we want to wait until we're in the clear." Frank told his mother flatly, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her in close to him, comforting her and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Well, congratulations son." Sam said, extending his arm to Frank, shaking his hand, a smile across his face, His reaction calm against Anne's storm. He then proceeded to hug Carla.

"Hang on, what sort of issues?" Anne asked, her smile dropping slightly, still wanting to keep the occasion happy.

"It's nothing, really." Carla assured her, smiling slightly at her mother-in-law.

"It doesn't matter." Frank interjected. "We are having a baby and we couldn't be happier!" He beamed, taking Carla's hand as she flashed him a short smile, thanking him for taking a little control over his mother.

All the way through dinner, talk at the table had been on nothing but the new arrival, with Anne discussing everything from childcare to private schools, with Frank's hand engulfing Carla's under the table at all times to show his support for his wife, knowing she was a bit uncomfortable with so much focus being on that one thing.

It was evening, and Frank and Carla had just said goodbye to his parents, with the chef already gone. They sat on the sofa, relaxing into it after a hectic and eventful meal.

"I'm so proud of you." Frank told Carla, gazing lovingly into her eyes after a short silence.

"Yeah?" Carla asked, surprised, with a small smile on her face.

"Yeah." He replied. "The way you dealt with tonight, with my mother. You just seemed really calm." He added, making her smile even more.

"It's probably your calm influence." She remarked with a small laugh, leaning into his chest, closing her eyes slightly.

"You tired?" Frank asked her, running his fingers lightly through her hair, as she sighed contently.

"Yeah." She muttered lightly, before Frank got up from where he was sat, disturbing Carla's peaceful thoughts, extending his arm to his wife, who took a hold of his hand.

"I'll run you a bath and we can have an early night. I think you deserve it." Frank told her, leading her out of the front room and up the stairs. "I love you." He told her, looking at her, admiring his wife.

"I love you too." She smiled.


End file.
